chapter┊ ✦. :: twenty six
♡ ﹙family dinner﹚ ❋ ˚ ݂ ꛒ

Delilah, Lydia's mother, didn't stop calling the girl for a whole week to try to convince her to attend a family dinner. Lydia didn't really understand why there was so much insistence, but in the end, she agreed to go. She didn't want to cause more trouble for Carlisle than he already had with the whole Bella situation, but he said there was no problem, and it would serve as a little distraction from everything that was happening.

Although it was true that meeting Lilian, Jonah, and their newborn son was not a very tempting idea either. It would probably just stress Lydia out more, and that was the last thing she wanted, although he would interfere if things got tense.

So, the couple traveled by car to Seattle to Jonah and Lilian's newly purchased house. Lydia wasn't very excited about visiting this place, but she felt very nervous. Not because she was excited, but because she feared her sister would find out about her pregnancy. It was something she preferred to keep to those close to her, and her sister wasn't one of those people.

Lydia sighed deeply once the car stopped in front of a beautiful two-story house in a very nice area of the city. It didn't surprise her, with Jonah's salary, they could buy another three identical houses with a car for each.

"Ready?" the man asked softly, taking Lydia's hand.

She looked at him with puppy eyes. She didn't want to be there, they both knew it. And although they could turn around, they didn't actually do it.

"I think so," she said.

"We can leave if you want. You don't have to be here," he reassured her.

She smiled a little. "I'm okay. Just trying to mentally prepare for this," she said very quietly, although Carlisle heard her loud and clear.

He didn't hesitate for a moment when he placed a hand on the girl's cheek and left a gentle kiss on her forehead to reassure her that everything would be fine. Although Carlisle considered himself very peaceful, he wouldn't hesitate for a second to defend the love of his life.

"Okay. We'll get out of the car when you feel ready, and we'll leave when you tell me," he said.

Could there be anyone more adorable than Carlisle? Probably not.

"Okay. I think I can do this," she said, looking at the blonde with more confidence.

Carlisle got out of the car and walked to the other side to open Lydia's door, offering her his hand to help her out of the vehicle. Then he opened the back door to take out a bottle of wine, and finally, they both walked towards the entrance of the house. It was the man who took care of ringing the doorbell. They didn't wait more than a minute when the door opened, and they saw Delilah's joyful face, who didn't hesitate for a second to wrap her arms around her eldest daughter.

"I'm so glad you're here, dinner is almost ready. Come in," she said.

Lydia tried to smile but failed completely. Still, they entered the house, where Lilian welcomed them along with her baby in her arms.

She looked at her sister and her sister's husband, who shamelessly smiled with his teeth and stared at her.

"Thank you for inviting us to dinner," Carlisle spoke kindly. "We brought you a gift."

He handed the bottle to Lilian, who approached a little closer to the blonde to take the bottle. It seemed like she didn't even care that her baby was in her arms.

"It's great that you came," Lilian spoke very cheerfully, still not looking at Lydia. "It's always good for the family to get together, isn't it?" She let out a laugh. "But please, come in and make yourselves at home. By the way, this is Logan."

Lydia looked at the baby with a smile. The fact that she didn't get along at all with her sister and Jonah didn't mean the baby was to blame for anything.

"I'm glad you came," Jonah spoke for the first time. "I hope you'll enjoy the dinner. We prepared it especially for tonight."

Lydia felt very uncomfortable, so she focused on her nephew.

"Is it okay if I hold him?" she asked, although she didn't look at Lilian.

"Yes, of course," Lilian spoke indifferently but handed the baby to her. "I'll go check the oven, I think everything is almost ready."

"You can go to the living room, and we'll let you know when you can come to the dining room," Jonah spoke and went with his wife to help her with the food.

No one said anything, Lilian left, and Lydia started playing with the baby as they walked to the living room. He was so small, and his skin was so soft and fragile. Logan also seemed very happy to be in his aunt's arms. Although he was still very small, he smiled.

"Where's dad?" Lydia asked her mother, but she didn't stop looking at the baby.

"He went to buy some things. You know he doesn't really like Jonah and found any excuse to leave as soon as he had the opportunity."

Lydia let out a laugh. She adored her father.

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked Carlisle this time.

The man looked at her with surprise. He had held many babies throughout his life, but this time it felt different. Not as something bad, but maybe as something more intimate.

He took the baby in his arms and started rocking him gently. He could imagine himself holding his own baby, and if he could cry at that moment, he probably would be. He finally realized that he would soon have his own baby in his arms. He would really be a father, and it was as if he finally realized it.

But then, Lydia frowned and approached Carlisle and the baby a little more, noticing a peculiar mark on the infant's neck.

"I'll go with your sister," the older one spoke and left immediately.

Lydia stared at Carlisle unsure if she should speak or not. She decided she would, but she would do it very quietly.

"He's not Jonah's son," she murmured.

Carlisle looked at her with surprise and confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"The birthmark he has on his neck," she began to explain, and the blonde looked quickly. "It's the same birthmark that Lilian's ex had. The one who worked with her at the publishing house and whenever he had the chance, he would come over. That's why I know."

The mark was very small, and it was by pure chance that she saw it, but it was there. Although she wasn't sure if that surprised her so much.

Carlisle didn't know what to say. He was genuinely surprised, but he didn't consider himself anyone to judge or criticize others. Although he was sure it would be quite a scandal.

"Will you tell her?" he finally spoke after a moment of silence.

She shrugged.

"Would you?"

They stared at each other for a long moment until they conveniently heard the doorbell ring. It was probably Lydia's father. The girl gave him one last look before going to open it. She smiled when she saw her father and didn't hesitate for a second before hugging him.

"Mom said you'd come, but honestly, I was hoping you'd cancel at the last minute,"

she said.

Both laughed.

"I won't lie, I considered it at least ten times while we were on our way here," he said.

The man laughed again, putting an arm around the girl's shoulders and holding a paper bag in the other. They entered the home, everyone was getting ready for the uncomfortable moment that was approaching.

They met Carlisle, who still had Logan in his arms but quickly approached the newcomer to carry the bag he was holding.

"Let me help you with that," he had said very kindly. It didn't bother him at all to carry the bag and the baby at the same time.

"How kind of you," Marcelle smiled, not letting go of his daughter. "I don't know what good it does Jonah to have so much money when he can't even keep the pantry full."

Lydia didn't drown out that little laugh, infecting Carlisle who also laughed. The girl separated from her father and went to Carlisle to hold the baby. She wasn't sure how long she would enjoy it, so she had to take advantage of it in the meantime.

"Dad, you shouldn't speak badly of people in their own home," she began to move around the room with the baby in her arms.

The man shrugged.

"Jonah knows perfectly well what I think of him."

Carlisle went to the kitchen to deliver the bag, and the other two went to the living room. Father and daughter sat on one of the nice sofas while the girl settled the baby in her lap.

"How have you been feeling?"

"Everything is going great. I try to take everything calmly."

"Have you thought of any names?"

She looked at him with a sad smile.

"Not really. We haven't talked much about it... I think we're both nervous, and we don't know what to do. Besides, we have other problems to worry about, and I feel like we haven't had much time for ourselves."

Marcelle let out a laugh.

"I still remember when your mother and I were in the same situation. We had no idea what name to give you, mainly because we couldn't agree on it," his gaze drifted away with the memory. "But just a day before you were born... I was reading a book to your mother, and it appeared. We both loved it immediately. Although I must admit that was the easy part, the hard part came afterwards. But I want you to know that we will always be very proud of you, Lydia. Always."

Carlisle, who had heard everything from the entrance, joined them when Marcelle finished speaking, so as not to interrupt the nice father-daughter moment. He sat next to Lydia, and the three of them had a pleasant conversation.

Just an hour later, the six of them were gathered around a beautiful wooden oval table. The atmosphere felt more than tense; no one knew what to say or do to lighten the mood, but it was obvious that Lilian had no intention of lightening that heaviness.

Still, they passed the dishes and started to have dinner.

"You've gained a little weight, haven't you, Lydia?" Lilian spoke with venom in her mouth, then looked at her husband. "Don't you think so, honey?"

Jonah frowned for a millisecond, probably the only one who noticed was Carlisle, who never missed anything. But he was already getting annoyed by Lilian's comment.

Jonah stumbled over his words and chose to take a long sip from his glass. Logan had fallen asleep, and they had already taken him to his room.

"I mean, you've always been very thin," Lilian continued, "so thin that you looked sick, but it seems you've gone a little overboard."

Lydia stared at her sister and then smiled.

"Well... it's normal to gain weight when you're four and a half months pregnant."

Lilian's smile disappeared, and Jonah looked at her almost annoyed. If the atmosphere was tense before... now it was much more. She didn't want to tell her about her pregnancy, but she wouldn't lie, she loved the expression of that couple at her words.

"What did you say?" Lilian couldn't believe it. She felt jealousy flooding her veins.

Carlisle took Lydia's hand, which was on the table, and also smiled.

"We were going to tell you the news later, but it seems Lydia couldn't take it anymore," the blonde improvised. He understood that Lydia was getting annoyed, but he didn't think she would actually tell her sister.

Lilian didn't know what to say, probably she was too shocked.

"And are you going to get married?" she asked then, with a slight tone of mockery. Of course, she didn't know that they already knew she had gotten married because of her pregnancy.

"We will after the baby is born," Carlisle explained calmly, a smile lighting up his face. "Right now, Lydia's health is the most important thing, and organizing a wedding could be stressful for her. But don't worry, I promise you'll get the invitation."

Lydia looked at Carlisle with shining eyes. Although it was a lie... she was actually excited about the fact that she could marry the man. Carlisle perceived how the girl's heart raced with excitement and gave her a smile full of love.

"You can't get married!" they heard Lilian and Jonah shout at the same time.

The four of them stared at the couple with furrowed brows. Jonah realized his mistake, but Lilian was so angry that she didn't even notice that her husband had said the same thing as her.

"It's not fair!" she shouted, standing up so quickly that her chair made a loud noise as it was dragged backwards. "It's always the same," her eyes filled with tears. "You always have to overshadow others, don't you? You've always been everyone's favorite, and now you want to overshadow me by having a child just like me and a wedding just like mine."

Lydia was confused, and anger began to flood her veins. How dare she say that?

"You've always wanted to overshadow me with everything you do," she continued. "Oh, look, Lydia won an award, Lydia won a competition, Lydia was the first place, Lydia will study medicine, oh, look, Lydia will study abroad. Oh, Lydia wants this, we should give it to her. Lydia is an outstanding student. Oh, and now she's going to get married and have a child. Our parents always preferred you. I hate you!" she shouted with tears streaming from her eyes as if there were no end.

"Lilian!" Marcelle raised his voice and pounded the table with his hands. Everyone looked at him, and Lilian sat back down.

"What are you talking about?" he looked at her sternly. "I wasn't the one who made your life impossible. I always celebrated your achievements and encouraged you to keep striving. I didn't take your boyfriend away, I didn't steal your wedding dress, I didn't abandon your pet halfway on the road, I didn't sabotage your projects, Lilian. I never wanted to be more than you. And I know perfectly well that our parents never had a preference for either of us, they celebrated you as much as they celebrated me. I don't know what you're so jealous of," he stood up, "and thank you for the meal, but we're leaving."

Carlisle also stood up without taking his eyes off Jonah, who was looking at Lydia in

a strange way, as if he also wanted to reproach her for something but held back. He would stop him if he made any move.

"I just wanted us to be a family again," Delilah murmured on the verge of tears, "I love you both with all my heart, and I just wanted us to spend more time together. I have an inoperable brain tumor, and I don't know for sure how much time I have left."

There was a deathly silence. Marcelle put a hand on his wife's back to give her gentle caresses. The others were confused.

"Mom, why didn't you tell us?" Lydia asked almost in a whisper.

The woman smiled sadly as she shook her head and wiped away the tears that were accumulating in her eyes.

"I didn't want to worry you. I know you're both very busy, and that's why I did my best to get us together every chance I had."

No one knew what to say.

"How long have you known?" Lilian spoke calmly this time.

"A couple of weeks before the wedding. I went to different hospitals, but they all said the same thing."

"Mom, Jonah, and even I know some incredible surgeons from other parts of the world. If you had told us, maybe..."

"No," she spoke softly, "the only thing I wanted was to be able to spend time together as a family and not locked up in a hospital waiting for a cure that will never come. But I understand now that it's like putting dogs and cats in the same cage. There's no way they'll get along, and I don't want you to feel obligated because of this. I'm sorry I understood it so late."

"Carlisle is an excellent surgeon; maybe he can..."

"Lydia," she interrupted, "darling, it's okay. I've already made my decision, and in case the tumor is operable, there's little chance of success. I don't want to spend my last moments in a hospital. I just hope to stay alive long enough to meet my other grandson and, if possible, to be there on your wedding day."

With tears in her eyes, Lydia approached her mother to hug her.

"If there's anything I can do for you, just say it."

"Don't worry, dear. Everything will be fine."

"Of course it will," Marcelle said with a smile, "we'll be there to meet our grandson and on your wedding day just like we were with Lily. We love you both."

Lilian wiped her face, but the tears didn't stop.

"I'm sorry, but I think it's best if we leave. This is very uncomfortable."

Delilah smiled.

"Of course, remember to visit me from time to time, okay? And call if you need anything."

"I will. I promise."

Lydia and Carlisle said their goodbyes and got into the car, but as soon as they had gone a couple of blocks, Lydia asked Carlisle to stop and began to cry on the man's shoulder.

Carlisle didn't say anything. There were no words at that moment that could make the girl feel better, so he simply stroked her back gently and let her cry as much as she wanted.

It was a long night for Lydia. And unfortunately, it was only the beginning of all her tragedies.

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